Cousins
by Kristen3
Summary: Frederick Crane pays a visit to Seattle, wanting to visit his little cousin. But seeing Frasier's son only makes Niles remember how much he misses his older brother. Can Daphne help him see that love is what matters in a family, not geography? One-shot.


**Author's Note: **I've been working on this story for a couple of days now. I hope the result was worth it! Many thanks to Leigh Ann (**leighann415**) for reading portions of this and offering encouragement. :)

Niles stood, waiting at the airport. He couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. He knew he was crazy to feel this way. After all, he was only awaiting the arrival of family. Though the Crane family was now separated, the bonds were all still there. With a sigh, Niles thought of Frasier. No matter how he tried to deny it, there had been a void in his life ever since his brother wound up in Chicago. He was happy for Frasier, there was no doubt of that. How could Niles not support choosing love over everything else? Who knew where he'd be now if it hadn't been for what happened in that Winnebago?

But a voice on the loudspeaker brought Niles' thoughts to the present. _Now Arriving, flight 362 from Boston_. That was it, the flight he'd been waiting for. Passengers soon began making their way into Sea-Tac. In a few moments, Niles saw his nephew.

As Freddy came toward him, Niles could hardly believe how tall he'd gotten. "Uncle Niles!" With a smile, Niles hugged Frasier's only son tightly.

"Freddy, it's good to see you again."

"You, too. I sort of go by Frederick now, though. 'Freddy' doesn't quite cut it at Harvard, you know?"

"Of course. I completely understand. I trust your father is glad you've chosen to follow in his footsteps?"

"Are you kidding me? He calls me _constantly_, telling me how proud he is." Frederick laughed, patting his coat pocket where his cellphone was.

Niles laughed. "That must be why I can't get hold of him lately."

"Yeah. So where's Aunt Daphne?"

"She's home with David. Bringing a three-year-old to a place like this just wasn't a good idea."

"Right. I can't wait to meet my little cousin. I wanted to come out right after he was born, but you know, school..."

"It's OK. Daphne and I totally understand." Niles put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. Once again, he was reminded that Freddy was a man now. "Come on. Better late than never, right?"

* * *

Frederick found himself feeling excited as his uncle opened the door to his apartment. He'd been looking forward to this trip for some time, but only now did he realize how much he actually needed it. He took after his father and his uncle, so his studies kept him busy most of the time. But the semester was over, and he was determined not to think about school while he was here.

The door opened, and before Frederick could even move or speak, Daphne was hugging him tightly. All at once, Frederick couldn't help remembering the days when he'd had a crush on his grandfather's physical therapist. He was old enough now to understand that his feelings never would've led anywhere, but the memories would always remain.

"Freddy! It's so good to see you!" Daphne finally let go of her nephew and looked at him. How had he gotten so tall?

"Thanks. It's great to see you, too. But I don't really go by Freddy anymore. It's Frederick now."

"Of course," Daphne said, smiling. How was it possible he was the same little boy who'd trailed after her whenever he visited his father? But Daphne resisted the urge to comment on how he'd grown. Such talk would likely only embarrass him. She covered by turning to the little boy standing next to her, holding onto her pant leg for dear life. "This is David," she said simply.

Frederick dropped his duffle bag on the ground and kneeled down to his cousin's height. "Hi, David. I'm Freddy, your cousin."

David didn't answer, instead standing there, frozen by his mother's leg.

Daphne laughed. "You'll have to forgive David. He's a bit shy around strangers." She bent down also, hoping to put her son at ease. "Freddy's visiting us for a week. Remember your Uncle Frasier from Chicago? This is his son, Freddy. He's here just because he wanted to meet you!"

"Hi," David finally said, waving.

Frederick smiled. He liked this kid already. It didn't matter that he'd had very little experience around toddlers. He looked at Daphne, silently asking her, "How am I doing?"

Daphne couldn't help feeling her heart warm as these two got to know each other. "It's almost time for David's nap. I was just about to read him a story. He just loves Thomas the Tank Engine."

"Train," David said, grinning. It was clear he'd all but forgotten about Freddy being here.

"Sweetheart, why doesn't your cousin read you a story? Would that be all right?"

David nodded.

"I'd love to," Frederick said. He hadn't had any idea what to expect when he met his little cousin, but suddenly, he found he actually liked the idea of reading the boy a story. He followed David back to his room. Frederick couldn't help smiling when he saw where David slept. It reminded him of the room he used to have at his mother's. Although, when he wasn't much older than David, he'd gotten rid of picture books and other "baby" things in favor of advanced science books and a fancy computer system. He was grateful that David was more of a normal boy than he'd ever been. "So, David, where are your books?"

Standing right behind Frederick, Daphne answered his question. "All of David's storybooks are there on the shelf." She pointed to the bottom of her son's enormous bookshelf.

"Oh." Frederick said. "Right." He walked over to the shelf and grabbed one of the many books adorned with a smiling train on the cover. "Is this OK?"

David nodded. Daphne grinned. "That's one of his favorites." She felt her heart warm once again. Whether it was from her psychic powers or what, she had a feeling these two were going to get along just fine. "Well, I'll just leave you two alone. David, be good for your cousin, all right?"

"We'll be OK, Aunt Daphne." Frederick grinned at her. He knew she probably worked just as hard taking care of her family as she had when she used to work for Frasier. Frederick was more than happy to let her take a break, even for a short while.

Daphne walked away from her son's room, smiling. It might've been a shock to see Freddy all grown up, but it was clear that he was had turned out to be just like his father and uncle. Freddy might've had a less-than-ideal childhood, growing up with Lilith, but he'd definitely turned out all right.

Niles smiled when he saw his wife return to the living room. "I can't believe that's the same little boy who used to hang around you all the time."

"You were jealous of your nephew back then, weren't you?" Daphne asked, as she and Niles put their arms around each other.

Niles couldn't help laughing. "A bit. OK, maybe a lot." He kissed Daphne. "But I think things turned out all right, don't you?"

"I'd say so. I know David doesn't always take to strangers right away, but I have a feeling that he and Freddy will get along just fine."

Niles knew better than to ask if Daphne's powers were at work. Whether it was that, or her simple female intuition, he'd learned long ago not to question his wife about these things. "I'm so glad. I know Frederick's been working hard at school, and I'd hate for his vacation to not go well."

For a moment, Daphne didn't know how to answer. Simply being in Niles arms was almost too much to take. But when kissing him led to a desperate need for oxygen, she finally broke the silence. "You miss your brother."

All Niles could do in response was nod. He was beyond grateful for the life he and Daphne had. David was nothing less than a miracle. But that didn't mean he wouldn't give just about anything for coffee at Nervosa with his brother sometimes.

"I wish there was something I could do. You two were close, and even though I know we're both happy for him and Charlotte, it isn't the same as having him here."

Once again, Niles nodded. It was amazing sometimes how well Daphne understood him. It was yet another reason he was glad to finally be with her. He knew he couldn't have shared his feelings so easily with Maris or Mel.

Daphne kissed her husband once again. Moments like these would never get old. She was glad that David was in good hands for the time being. Not having to worry about her son gave her the freedom to hold Niles close in a way that usually wasn't possible until David was in bed. "For what it's worth, I'm sure Frasier misses you just as much as you miss him. He not only had to leave you, but also his father and Roz as well."

"You're right. And I want my brother to be happy. If Charlotte makes him feel the way I feel about you, then I can only wish the two of them the very best." He paused, knowing he couldn't spend all day selfishly thinking of how he missed Frasier. That would put a damper on Freddy's visit. "Thank you, Daphne. Whenever I get too upset about something trivial, you always know how to help me see the bigger picture."

Daphne smiled. "That's what I'm here for." She kissed his cheek. As she looked over her shoulder, she noticed the clock and realized that perhaps it was time she checked on David and her nephew. Though they seemed to be getting along well, her son had a habit of resisting when it came to naptime. Without saying a word to Niles, she turned around and walked back to his room. She knew Niles would understand what was on her mind.

When she approached the door to David's room, Daphne smiled. She could hear Frederick's voice as he read to David from the book he'd chosen. "And so, Thomas and all of his friends lived happily ever after. The end." When she knew the story was over, Daphne gently pushed the door open. The sight inside the room nearly took her breath away. For, just as David closed the picture book, he looked up and saw that his three-year-old cousin was fast asleep.

"That's incredible, Frederick. How did you do that?" Daphne asked, careful to keep her voice to a whisper. "Usually, he wants to play for as long as he can after a story, until he drops from exhaustion."

Bewildered, Frederick could only shrug. "I don't know. I just read the story to him. I didn't even know he'd gone to sleep until just now. But he's a great kid. You and Uncle Niles must be very proud."

"We are," Daphne replied, smiling. "It seems that the Crane men always end up making their parents feel that way." The look on her nephew's face made it clear that he understood. Niles and Daphne weren't the only ones with a right to be proud of their son. Frasier felt the exact same way.

**The End**


End file.
